Paradise 2: Lost Souls
by spoiledcornflakes
Summary: Sequel to Paradise. All hope seems lost for Mia after she lost her soul to the Pendaloon and is now trapped in Paradise forever with nothing but her memories. But forever is cut short when Flynn seems to have found a way to set them free. Together, they make their way back into the real world, but it's not long until the Pendaloon is hot on their tales.
1. The Storm

**So, here it is! I'm sorry about the extremely long wait, and also if there are any mistakes in here. To recap, Mia's soul has been taken by the Pendaloon, and she is no trapped in Paradise with Flynn. Also, if you can't remember, Elle is from Paradise, she is the character who's body was taken over by the Collector for most of the story. I hope you all enjoy. (Also I am aware that this story should belong to FictionPress, but since most of the people who love this story are here at FanFiction, I will continue to post here.)**

Chapter 1. The Storm

The Sun's rays shone down from the sky as the sea washed over Mia's bare toes gently. She cared little for the warm water that soaked her feet, or for the bright rays of sunshine that landed on her. It wasn't because she was ungrateful, it was because it was all artificial. Everything in Paradise was, except the people trapped there. Two years gad passed by now since Mia had become trapped in Paradise herself. She had to admit that the time had passed in a blink, but it had dragged at the same time. The fact that she missed her parents made the two years seem like eternity, but being in Paradise with Flynn and Elle had filled the gap her parents absence left, and for this she was grateful.

Mia looked behind her shoulder and at the large island called Paradise. It was a typical island, quite cliché-like in Mia's opinion. The island was surrounded by a beige sand beach, and in the taking up the rest of the island was a thick jungle. At the centre of the jungle was a volcano, rumoured to be the home of the Pendaloon, the creator of Paradise. Mia found it hard to describe the Pendaloon to herself. She didn't see him as a monster, not at all. But he had lured her into Paradise and ate her soul, leaving her with no way out of Paradise. He was an element of fear, as he had told her last time they met. Maybe that was the way to describe him: fear.

The sand behind Mia crunched softly. She turned back around to see Elle standing behind her. Elle smiled softly. "Soaking up the rays?"

Mia scoffed. "I would if I could."

Elle chuckled and sat next to Mia, her arms wrapped around her knees. Her silver-blonde hair glowed in the sunlight like a shiny penny caught in the sun. She turned her head towards Mia and smiled again, her thin pink lips stretching widely across her thin face. "Lovely day, isn't it?"

"To be honest, I can't wait until we get a bit of rain."

"Reminds you of Bloomwood, huh?"

"What?" The name of her old home town had caught her off guard. She had been at Paradise for so long that she could barley remember Bloomwood; she had trouble remembering her parents sometimes, too. "Oh, Bloomwood. Yeah, I guess. It used to rain there quite a bit."

"Well, looks like you might be reminded of Bloomwood very soon." Elle pointed up at the sky.

Mia followed her finger and saw the dark grey clouds creeping slowly across the blue sky. Mia laughed to herself. "How long do you think we've got until it rains?"

Elle shrugged. "I give it two or three hours. Quite a heavy downpour, I think."

"Excellent." She wasn't sure why, but Mia really enjoyed the rain. Maybe it was because the rain reminded her of her home town, or maybe it was because she liked the noise it made when it hit the roofs of the village huts. Either way she enjoyed it, no matter how many times Elle told her she was mad.

Mia pulled her legs towards her and stood up slowly. Grains of sand stuck to her wet feet and in-between her toes, making them itch. She wiped the sand from her grey cotton pyjama bottoms – they had became holey and ripped over the two years she had wore them – and turned to Elle. "Where's Flynn?"

"In his hut. I think he's sleeping, he seemed quite tired earlier."

Mia frowned. Sleeping wasn't needed in Paradise, and Flynn didn't like to sleep. He would rather stay awake all night, but lately he had been sleeping a lot, even in the day. "I'm going to wake him up." she said, walking away from Elle.

"Umm, I really think you should let him sleep, Mia." called Elle.

"No, I need to talk to him." Mia could hear Elle trying to complain from behind her, but she increases her walking pace and sped away from her and towards the village.

It was a small village that looked tribal. It consisted of seven small bamboo huts that formed a wide circle. At the far end of the circle was an empty space where an eighth hut used to be: the Leader's hut. It used to be the biggest hut in the village, but when it got out that the Leader was really the Pendaloon, everyone in Paradise had burnt the hut to the ground. The ground was still slightly blackened even after two years. And two huts to the right of the blackened spot was Flynn's hut. Mia pushed through the old purple curtains that hung from the door and stepped into his hut. Flynn always kept his hut tidy, their was no traces of sand on the wood floor and the bamboo walls were spotless.

Against the far wall opposite the door was Flynn, lying sound asleep in his hammock. Mia shook her head and hovered over him. Flynn looked so peaceful when he slept. His lips were parted slightly as he let out gentle snores and his shaggy brown hair hung like a curtain just above his eyes. Mia couldn't help but smirk at the childish freckles on his nose. "Flynn." she said quietly, shaking his shoulder. He let out a sleepy sigh and rolled over, his back now facing Mia. "Flynn!" she hissed, pushing her hand into his back.

Flynn snorted and rolled back over, his eyes opened into tiny slits. "What?" he yawned.

"Flynn, why are you sleeping? It's four in the afternoon."

"Well, I'm tired." he said sleepily.

"You never sleep, though."

Flynn smiled. "I like it now. I forgot how wonderful it is."

"Like eating?"

"Yes, like eating." Like sleep, eating or drinking wasn't needed in Paradise either. Which was just as well because the only food around the coconuts and there was no water except seawater. No-one felt hunger or thirst anymore, and no-one could decide whether it was a good or bad thing.

Mia sighed and moved away from the hammock, her hands behind her back. "I'd love to get out of this place. I miss eating, and sleeping."

"Me too. I can't even remember what food tastes like."

"Well, I can't remember what happens when you sleep."

Flynn smiled. "You dream, remember?"

"Dream? Oh yeah, of course." Mia laughed. "I don't remember what dreaming is like."

"Me either. I miss it."

"Me too, Flynn."

Flynn looked down, his hands twisted together. "How desperate do you want to get out of here, Mia?"

"Honestly? I'd give my soul," she smiled without humour. "if I still had it."

Flynn returned her humourless smile and patted her shoulder. "Don't worry, you got me."

"Don't forget Elle." she laughed.

"Ha, how could I forget her?" Flynn smiled but it was a forced smile. Ever since a Collector had taken over Elle's body Flynn couldn't feel completely comfortable around her, even if she was her normal self again.

Then the storm arrived. Lightning lit up the hut for a second with a flash of white, before disappearing and leaving them both in darkness. Thunder boomed in the distance and the heavy patting noise of raindrops hitting the hut roof filled the silence. Water began to rush into the hut, spreading out along the wood floor.

"Damn." muttered Flynn. He climbed up onto his hammock, and Mia followed. "I need something to stop the water coming in here every time it rains. This hut gets flooded." he muttered. "I hate rain."

Mia turned to him and smiled. "I love it."

Flynn shrugged and sat cross-legged on the hammock, while Mia copied his posture at the other end. They stared at each other for a while, trying to get inside the other one's mind. Mia was worried about Flynn's sleeping patterns, while Flynn worried mainly about the wet floor. "When do you think Elle will join us?" he said in an attempt to make small talk.

"She could come here at any minute. She might not even come."

"Possibly not."

Mia sighed and looked at the floor. Flynn always changed when he had just woken up, like he was a completely different person. He was too serious about everything, and didn't smile as much as she would have liked. If Elle was here, Flynn would act differently, more casual. Was it because he preferred Elle to her? Was she beginning to get boring?

_Stop it, Mia. Don't go creating problems in your own head._

Mia frowned at her thoughts but silently agreed with them. But was she jealous? Jealous of Elle?

"What's wrong?" asked Flynn.

Mia looked up. She hadn't realised she had been frowning to herself, but Flynn had noticed. "I just miss home." she lied. This excuse had always gotten her out of telling Flynn the truth, but it pained her to see his mouth turn down at the corners each time she said it.

He scooted forward so their knees were touching and took Mia's hand. Even though many people were always mistaken, Mia and Flynn weren't in a "relationship", they believed themselves to be good friends who relied on each other hugely. "It'll be fine, Mia. You trust me?"

Mia smiled at him. "I always do."

Flynn smile back, and at that moment Elle hurried into the hut, dripping wet. She opened her mouth to say something but started at Mia and Flynn, then stared down at their entwined hands. "Seriously, I swear there is _something_ going on between you two."

Flynn shook his head, still smiling. "Just good friends."

Elle rolled her eyes and shook her silver hair, droplets of water dripping to the floor. "This place is soaked." she said to Flynn. She shook her hair some more and sat down on the hammock so she was between Mia and Flynn. "Sorry, I've made the hammock damp, but you can both sleep in my hut tonight if you like. The rain doesn't get in there."

Mia looked at Flynn and he nodded at her. "Sure." said Mia. "It's too damp in here now."

Elle clapped her hands together once. "Excellent." She stood up from the hammock and turned to them. "I'll be waiting in my hut. Sorry, Flynn, but I don't know how you sleep in here. It's so cold."

Mia watched as Elle left the hut and ran through the rain. "You ready to go then?" she asked without looking at Flynn.

"Yep, always am ready."

Mia breathed a laugh and pulled herself up, Flynn following closely behind her.

The rain hit the roof of the hut so hard that Mia was worried about the roof breaking under pressure and a waterfall of rain water would pour down on the three of them. The sound of the rain combined with Elle's snoring made it hard for Mia to fall asleep. She lay on her hammock facing the wall, the old grey blanket wrapped tightly around her shivering body. There rain clouds covered the moon completely and no moonlight shone down on Paradise, leaving Mia laying in the dark. Back in the real world she had always been scared of the dark, but once she came to Paradise she feared the Pendaloon more than anything else. In fact, after meeting the Pendaloon, Mia never felt the need to fear anything else.

"Mia?" asked Flynn. His whispering voice cut through the air like a nice, making Mia jump slightly.

"Yeah?" she asked. She rolled over so she was face Flynn, even though he had been consumed by the darkness.

"You know what day it is tomorrow?"

Mia thought for a while before answering. "Umm, no I don't." She heard Flynn chuckle in the darkness. If she still feared things other than the Pendaloon she would have feared Flynn's voice.

"It's your birthday, remember?"

Mia nodded, even though she knew Flynn couldn't see her. On her first week of being at Paradise, Mia told Flynn the date of her birthday. It had never came to thought that she would ever forget her own birthday after just a few months. She never thought about her birthday at all, until the big day came and Flynn surprised her by wishing her a happy birthday. She was confused when he did so and he laughed at her and showed her his right forearm. She studied his arm hard until she saw the four tiny numbers – 11/04 – engraved there. The numbers were bigger than a newspaper print but small enough not to be noticed. It flattered her that he had engraved her birthday on his arm, but she never showed it.

"It is?" she asked quietly.

"Yes. Well, if it's gone past midnight already then it's your birthday now. But until morning, your birthday present can wait."

Mia could almost see him smiling in the darkness. "I get a present this year?" she said with a smile.

"Of course. It is your sixteenth, after all."

That was another thing that Mia sometimes forgot: how old she was. "Thank you, Flynn." she cooed.

"Don't mention it. Now, get some sleep. Big day ahead for you tomorrow." he teased.

"Can't wait." she yawned. Flynn said something else to her but she didn't hear what he said because she was already asleep.


	2. Flynn's Secret

Chapter 2. Flynn's Secret

There was something about Paradise that affected your mind. Being there made you forget things. First you would start to forget little things such as your favourite colour, and then you would forget bigger things, like your parents. It pained Mia to know that she would never see her parents again and she would never remember what they looked like. About a month ago she had tried to see her parents through a Looking Glass – a pool which allowed them to see into the real word – but she only saw smudged shapes and blurs, like someone trying to see underwater. She couldn't hear what they were saying either; their voices were muffled to her. She would have cried, but she forgot how to.

Elle had a theory that their memory loss had something to do with their soul not being inside of them anymore. She thought that sooner or later – most possibly towards their "end" – they would forget everything about themselves, including their names and where they really were. Her theory seemed possible, as the people who had been in Paradise the longest always seemed so lost and forgetful.

But despite their memory loss, Flynn still managed to remember which day of the year it was without the help of a calender and always remembered Mia's birthday. In the morning, he showed her the tiny scar on his forearm again and smiled proudly. He wouldn't tell her how he engraved it on his arm, but Mia had a suspicion it had something to do with a sharp stick.

"Happy birthday." said Flynn when morning came.

Elle turned around sharply. "Who's birthday is it?"

Mia smiled. "Mine. Or at least Flynn says it is."

Elle pulled her eyebrows together. "How d'you remember her birthday without forgetting it. Flynn?"

"I have a way." he said casually. He wouldn't tell Elle that he had Mia's birthday on his arm in case she tormented him about it.

"Uh-huh." said Elle. She turned her attention to Mia and smiled. "Happy birthday! Well, if it _actually is_ your birthday." She wrapped her arms around Mia and hugged her tightly. "I haven't gotten you a present, because I didn't know it was your birthday."

"It's fine." laughed Mia. "I don't want anything, anyway."

"I've got a present," said Flynn. "but it can wait until later."

"Why can't I have it now?"

"Because I said so."

Mia pulled a face and ran her fingers through her hair, her way of brushing it. Over the past two years her hair had grown halfway down her back, but it didn't compare to Elle's hair which was now at the small of her back. "So, what's on the agenda today?"

"Probably go swimming." said Elle. "Sound good?"

Mia nodded. "Sure. Haven't been swimming in weeks."

"That's because last time the current nearly took us away." muttered Flynn.

"Took us where? It's not like we can go anywhere in this Godforsaken place." said Elle. She stared at Flynn, waiting for his answer. But he looked at her and turned away, leaving the hut.

"Leave him alone, Elle." said Mia.

Elle scoffed. "You're only sticking up for him because you like him."

"No I don't."

"Yes you do. Don't deny it." She stuck her tongue out at Mia and left her alone in the hut.

Mia stared at the stop where Elle had been standing for quite some time, thinking up comebacks she could have said to Elle instead of keeping silent.

Paradise's was abnormally warm. Swimming in the the water was like swimming in a large bathtub of warm water. Despite the inviting warm water, Mia didn't like getting in the water anymore than Flynn or Elle did. They didn't know how deep the water was or if anything dangerous lived there, but Flynn always reminded them that in Paradise ignorance was bliss.

The three of them kept their pyjamas on as they swam, and the weight of their wet clothes pulled them down slightly.

"What is the actual point in this?" asked Flynn. They had already swam a good way away from Paradise. They very few villagers there who were walking along the beach looked like ants.

"Nothing better to do, is there? If you don't like it then swim back, Flynn." said Elle. To Mia, Elle sounded a lot like someone she knew back home, if only she could remember her name. Sammy? Lucy?

"No, I'm good." sighed Flynn. His wet brown hair hung in front of his face and almost covered his eyes. "Why are we out here, anyways?"

Elle raised her eyebrow. "Remember what we tried to do last time we swam out here?"

Flynn groaned. "Oh, not again, Elle! It didn't work last time and it won't work this time!"

"It might do." said Elle. She turned away from Flynn and Mia and began swimming.

Last time they all swam out this far, Elle had tried to swim further. She swam towards the artificial Sun and left Paradise behind her. Mia and Flynn followed and after their muscles screamed in pain, they noticed that they could no longer see Paradise and was surrounded by ended blue water. The three of them were overjoyed and continued to swim onwards, but their hearts sank when they found themselves back at Paradise. "We must have swam around the whole of Paradise." Flynn had said. "How else would we have came back to it?" But still, Elle was determined to swim away from Paradise. She refused to believe it was impossible.

"Elle!" Mia called out. "I don't want to spend my birthday swimming!"

Elle said something but didn't raise her voice, making it was hard to hear her.

"What did she say?" Mia asked Flynn, who was next to her.

"She said 'turn back, then'. Should we go back?"

Mia nodded. "Yeah, I can't stay out here all day. It is _my_ birthday, after all."

Flynn smiled. They swam away from Elle and towards Paradise. The journey back was shorter than the journey out to sea. When they both made it back to Paradise their clothes were soaked and weighted them down. Flynn slumped against the sand, the tiny grains sticking to his face and body. "That's killed me." he panted.

"Same here." Mia took deep breaths as she sat down next to Flynn. The sand stuck to her legs and cotton shorts. "Flynn . . . When do . . . I get . . . my birthday present?" she panted.

"Huh? Oh yeah. Later on tonight . . . I promise."

"Can't I just have a clue?"

"No. It's a surprise."

"I bet you've gotten me another bracelet again." she teased. She held out her left wrist and shook it at him. Tied tightly around her wrist was a piece of string, and attached to it was four small shells. "I mean I like it, but I can't show it off here."

"D'you know how long it took me to make that?" he said, lifted his face from the sand.

Mia laughed and wiped away the large amount of sand on his cheek. "I do appreciate it, Flynn."

"Good, or no birthday present for you today."

Mia laughed again and stared out to the Sun, ignoring the pain in her eyes as she stared.

Elle came back around night-time, looking angry at herself. "You okay, Elle?" asked Flynn as he saw her coming out of the water. He and Mia were still sat on the beach, now fully dry.

Elle ignored him and Mia, and stormed past them, muttering unimportant words under her breath about herself.

Flynn shrugged and turned to Mia. "I think she's a bit upset that she didn't find a way out of here."

"Possibly. But then again, everyone knows you can't leave this place."

Flynn nodded and scratched his head. "I think it's almost midnight. Fancy your present before it's no longer your birthday?" he smiled.

"Finally." said Mia sarcastically. "Yes, I'd love to have my present."

Flynn left the beach and ran towards the village, leaving Mia alone. She hummed to herself and twitched her toes in sand. Her stomach flipped over and over inside of her. Flynn had made her wait all day for her present, so it had to be good, hadn't it? She imagined him bringing her an improved Looking Glass, one that didn't make you feel depressed.

She heard the sand crunching behind her and she turned to see Flynn with his hands behind his back. He sat down in front of her, his back to the sea. "You ready for this?" he asked.

Mia smiled and nodded. She pulled her legs up to her face and rested her chin on her knees.

Flynn slowly pulled his hands out from behind his back and brought Mia's present into view. He held it in his hands and stared into her eyes, his face solemn.

"What is it?" Mia raised her head from her knees. In Flynn's hand was a glass jar – the same size of a jam jar. Inside the jar was a white glowing orb.

"It's a soul. Or at least, I hope it is."

"A soul? Flynn, how did you get hold of a soul?"

"I stole it."

"From?"

"The volcano." He pointed at the volcano where the Pendaloon was rumoured to live. "Took months of planning to find a safe way in and a safe way out. Why do you think I've been sleeping so much lately? I needed the energy."

"When did you get this?"

"A few days ago. It was tricky business. The Pendaloon was there, but he was sleeping. I never saw what he looked like because I tried not to go near him." He put the jar down on the sand. "The volcano was so hot, and there was rows of shelves filled with jars. Most of them were empty, but a few had souls in them. I take it the soul I took was from that boy who arrived here a month back."

"Flynn." Mia took a deep breath and pinched the bridge of her nose. "You do realise that you could have been _killed, _don't you?"

"I know, I know."

"And for what? What am I suppose to do with a soul, Flynn? Put it on a shelf and say to people 'yeah, this is a soul Flynn stole from the Pendaloon for my birthday. It's no use, but it still looks pretty!', is that what I'm going to do with it?"

"No, Mia, just listen to me."

Mia took a deep breath and calmed herself.

"I have this . . . theory, that the only reason we can't leave Paradise is because we don't have a soul. But what if we did have a soul? I think we could escape this place, and all we need is a soul." Flynn patted the jar. "And we have one."

"But what do we do with it?"

"I think if we eat it, it will become a part of us again." He lifted the jar and unscrewed the lid. The orb made a dreamy _ooh hoo ooh hoo _noise has Flynn lifted it out of the jar. He held the orb in his hand and used his other hand to split the soul in two. He extended both his hands – each holding half of a glowing soul – towards Mia. "Which one would you like?"

"Are you sure we can escape with just _half _a soul."

"Sure. You can leave with even a tiny bit of a soul, but we'll take half."

"What about Elle?"

"Elle has been here for sixty-odd years, Mia. I thought about bringing her with us, but what if she ages as soon as we get back to Earth? And the world will be very strange to her, don't you think?"

"So, maybe she is safer here?"

"I think she will be. Now, which half of the soul would you like?"

Mia took the half of the soul which was in Flynn's left hand. Holding the soul in her own hand made her fingers tingle. "Do I eat it?"

"It's worth a try. On three, okay? One. Two. Three." They were in sync in their movements. Together they pushed the wispy soul into their mouths and swallowed. It was like swallowing a mouthful of air. Mia wondered if she actually put the soul into her mouth, but then she felt a surprisingly cold substance sliding down her throat. She placed her hands on her stomach, like a pregnant woman holding her baby bump. "I can't feel in anymore."

"Me either. It must be inside of us."

"Err, what happens now?"

Flynn looked up in surprise. "I'm not sure."

"You have no idea what we're suppose to do now?"

"No, I don't know what we're suppose to do. I've never done this before, Mia. I don't know everything about it."

"I guess, sorry."

"It's fine. Maybe if we just–" Flynn suddenly slumped over and onto the sand.

"Flynn?" Mia bent down and studied him. He appeared to be sleeping. "Flynn!" She shook his limp body and rolled him over onto his band. "Wake up! Wake up, this is no time to be sleeping!" In an act of confusion, she slammed her fist down on his chest. His body jolted forward but he didn't wake. Then Mia began to shake his shoulders and as she did so, Flynn's toes began to vanish. It wasn't until the whole of Flynn's lower body had vanished that Mia realised what was happening. His body disappeared in waves of tiny specks, like Flynn was made of sand and someone was hoovering him up. When only Flynn's head and shoulders remained, Mia's vision suddenly darkened and she fell to the sand.


	3. Bloomwood, Revisited

**Quick note, in the last chapter I was suppose to type Lucy instead of Suzie. It was to show that Mia is forgetting about her human life, sorry if you all became confused.**

Chapter 3. Bloomwood, Revisited

It was very dark when Flynn woke up. He raised his head from the hard ground and looked around. He couldn't see any lights, but he could hear Mia groaning next to him. "You okay?" he whispered.

"Yeah." She whispered back. He heard her pull herself up too. "Where are we? It's so dark."

"I'm not sure, I can't see–" His voice was drowned out by the blaring noise of a car zooming past them.

"Flynn!" Mia called loudly. "I think we need to move. Right now."

Another car went past them, lighting up the highway Mia and Flynn were lying in the middle of. Mia jumped up from the road – her muscles aching all over – and she pulled Flynn up too. She could see that they were both still in their pyjamas. "I have no idea where we are!" she shouted as she pulled him across the road and over the metal barriers. Flynn slumped onto the grass, he appeared to be in a daze. Mia looked around for a road sign. "Bloomwood." she muttered to herself. "Bloomwood, Bloomwood, Bloomwood, yes!" On a distant road sign she could just make out the words _Bloomwood, 5_. She turned to Flynn. "My home town is five miles away in the direction. Come on!"

"We did it." whispered Flynn. "We actually _did it_."

"What?"

"We got out of Paradise! Oh, I never thought this day would ever come!"

"It's . . ."

"Unbelievable?" Flynn suggested.

"Yes. Unbelievable."

Flynn smiled widely, his pink lips stretching across his face. He flicked his hair from his eyes and stood up. "How far to . . . Bloomwood, is it?"

"Yeah, it is Bloomwood." She smiled. "Five miles away."

"I think if we started walking now, we'll reach Bloomwood in a few hours."

"You want to walk?" Mia rubbed her legs. The trip from Paradise had made all of her muscles burn with pain.

"We can't get a lift. I might have lost most of my memory, but I know that it's not a good idea to catch lifts with strangers."

"Okay, but don't blame me if my legs burst."

Flynn laughed. "I doubt that will happen, Mia. Come on, lets start walking." In a teasing kind of manner, he held his hand out and tried to take hers. He smirked at her when their hands brushed against each other.

"Stop it." she giggled. "What would Elle say if she were here?"

"I think she would suspect something is going on between us."

Despite what Elle _would _think, she wasn't with them so Mia allowed Flynn to hold her hand. To Mia, folding hands with Flynn didn't feel romantic as such, it just felt like holding her best friend's hand.

Being away from Paradise felt strange to them. As they walked they could feel the bitterness of the cold wind stinging against their skin, something they had never experienced in Paradise before because it was always so warm there. And the fact that they were both wearing pyjamas – Mia in her cotton shorts and tee-shirt and Flynn in his long baggy bottoms and grey tee-shirt – didn't make them any warmer. There was also an odd feeling deep down inside their chests. It felt empty, like something was missing from them. Their chests also felt slightly cold in the empty area. It was obvious to them both that the empty feeling came from the missing parts of their souls. And along with the empty feeling in their chests, there was another strange feeling in their stomachs.

_Hunger. _Mia thought to herself. _We haven't eaten anything in years, no wonder we're hungry. Ooh, that hurts._

Mia's stomach grumbled deeply. Flynn would have smirked, but instead he pulled a face and looked down at his own stomach. "Your belly hurting too?" he asked as they walked.

Mia would have found it funny that Flynn referred to his stomach as a "belly", but right now her mind was focusing on that horrible feeling of hunger. "I'm so hungry." she said.

"I think I'm thirsty too. My throat feels itchy and dry."

Mia hadn't considered thirst, but since Flynn brought it up she became aware of the dryness of her own throat. She shallowed to ease the irritating feeling. "I feel it too."

"What should we do?"

"There's not a lot we can do, Flynn, we don't have any money. Perhaps if we hurry up and get to Bloomwood, my parents will give us something to eat and drink."

"Perhaps." whispered Flynn. He gripped Mia's hand tighter and increased his walking speed so he was now power walking and dragging Mia along behind him. Being dragged around by Flynn reminded her of the time when they were running from the Collectors of Paradise to save Mia's soul, but no matter how hard they ran it still ended in disaster and her soul was lost. Maybe something similar would happen to them now. Maybe they wouldn't be able to reach Bloomwood in time and die from either hunger or thirst. _That would be something, _thought Mia. _We_ o_nly just got out of that damned place and now we may die. _Mia pulled a face and tried to ignore the voice of her mind that seemed to think by itself.

How far they had walked was unknown. They passed many road signs, but it was too dark to see what said now. It was late now, maybe even gone past midnight. Mia and Flynn's eyelids began to feel heavy and their vision blurred slightly.

"Flynn?" she asked. Her teeth chattered as she spoke and she hugged herself. The only warmth she felt was in her right hand that was entwined with Flynn's.

"Yeah?"

"Is that lights in the distance?" she weakly raised her aching arm and pointed in front of them.

Flynn squinted and saw bright orange lights not too far in front of them. They might have been about half an hour away, but that was good enough. "Think so." he said. "You think that it's Bloomwood?"

"I do hope so."

"Come on. We should move quickly now. My belly feels even worse than before."

"Mine too. Should we run?"

"Run? Pff, I can barely walk and you want me to run?"

"Just a suggestion." Mia mumbled. She began walking again and Flynn followed. The ground underneath them had become moist from the cool night air and it soothed their feet. They had stepped on many small rocks and fragments of glass while they were walking alongside the motorway, many were still embedded in the bottoms of their feet but they had grown used to the pain now. The road they walked next to now had narrowed down and long rows of tall hedges grew along the side of the road, blocking the view of the dim orange lights. "I don't think it's very far now." said Mia. "I vaguely remember that bridge up ahead. When we cross that we'll be in Bloomwood."

"Positive?" A jolt of adrenaline pulsed through Flynn as they reached the stone bridge. He couldn't wait to be experience the feeling of living again.

"Absolutely. Look, there's the houses." They had crossed the stone bridge and now they were facing a much bigger road with small houses and street lights beaming down orange light on either side. "I can't believe we've made it. I really can't."

"Me either. I never thought I'd ever set foot in the real world again. This is just . . . I'm lost for words."

Mia laughed. "Flynn, you'll have plenty of time to find words when we've got some food and water in our stomachs."

"Bellies." Flynn muttered loud enough for Mia to hear. She pulled a face and smiled. "Lets walk, I might be able to remember which house is mine if I see it."

Flynn nodded and walked with Mia. They walked slowly in the middle of the road, the orange street lights lighting their way. Mia studied both sides of houses, searching for something that might trigger a memory and help her remember. Her heart began to beat faster when they walked past half of the houses and she didn't recognise any of the houses, not even her friends' houses.

"That one!" Mia yelled out suddenly. She pointed at a small white house to their left. The lights were out but that was expected. She broke away from Flynn's grip and ran towards the house. She rapidly on the door, desperate to wake her parent up.

"Mia." Flynn called out in a serious tone, but Mia ignored him. She ran to the living room window and peered inside. The curtains were pulled, but she couldn't see inside. "Mum!" she yelled against the window. "Dad! I'm home!" She banged on the window. "I'm home! I've come home!" She heard a series of banging noises and her heart leaped with joy. The noise of a window being opened could be heard and she squealed to herself.

"Will you be quiet?" yelled a male voice that sounded as if it came from another house. Mia couldn't tell if the voice belonged to her father because she had forgotten what his voice sounded like, but the sternness of the voice told her that it wasn't his. "People are trying to sleep! It's half three in the morning! Go cause trouble somewhere else, hooligans!" The window slammed shut and more banging could be heard, followed by silence.

A hand rested on Mia's shoulder and she turned to see Flynn staring at her with an odd expression on his face. "Flynn?" she asked. "What's wrong?"

He didn't say anything back to her, he merely pointed towards the road. Mia followed the direction of his finger and saw a sign poking out of the ground that made her heart sink. She ran over to the sign and stared up at the red letters that spelled out **FOR SALE**. She groaned and grabbed her hair. "They've moved." she mumbled.

Flynn came up behind her and stared at the sign too. "It has been two years, Mia."

"But they must have had some kind of hope that I would come back! They must have, right?"

Flynn looked at Mia, his face hiding any emotions. "It has been two years." he repeated slowly.

Mia groaned again and attempted to pull the sign out of the ground, but her arms ached too much and she gave up with a loud sigh. "I never did like this place." she mumbled.

Flynn smiled to lightened her mood. "Let's leave then. There's nothing here for us now."

"I suppose so." she sighed. They began to walk again, but Mia slowed down and stopped at the sight of another house. "I remember that house." she said to herself.

"What?" asked Flynn, but Mia had walked away and towards the other house. There was no **FOR SALE** sign outside of this house – much to Mia and Flynn's delight – and Mia knocked on the door. She knocked slowly and loudly until the door finally opened ten minutes later. Standing in the doorway was an elderly woman in a floral-print nightdress. The woman put a pair of small rectangle glasses on and stared at Mia. "Hello?" she asked. Her voice was sweet, like you would expect an old lady's voice to sound like.

"Hello. It's me, Mia." Mia said slowly, hoping the woman would remember her.

"Mia?" The woman sounded quite shocked.

"Mia McGee. Remember?"

"The girl who ran away from home two years ago?"

"Yes."

"Oh, Mia!" The old woman leaned out and hugged Mia. Mia hugged her back and searched her memory to try and remember the woman's name. "You look as thin as anything!" the woman cried. "Come in, come, come." She turned to Flynn. "You as well! You both look starved."

Flynn and Mia looked at each other, but to themselves they looked the same as they always did. Flynn shrugged and followed Mia and the old lady into the house. Inside was warm, and the strong smell of prunes surrounded them. The woman walked slowly into her beige kitchen, clutching a walking stick in her hands. Mia followed slowly, all the while trying to remember the woman's name. It was on the tip of her tongue, but it wouldn't come to her.

"I have some home-made chicken soup left over from this afternoon. Will that do?"

Mia nodded and sat down.

"Is it possible for us to have a drink too?" asked Flynn.

"Of course, dear! I only have squash, mind you."

"That's fine." Flynn couldn't remember what "squash" was, but it was better than being thirsty.

The old woman took two bowls out of a cupboard above her and filled them with soup from a big saucepan on top of the oven. She then poured a small amount of strong orange liquid into two glasses and filled them with water. "Here we go." she said as she placed the bowls down and then the glasses. She looked at Flynn. "I'm Gertrude Grey, by the way."

That was it! Mia almost slapped herself in the head for not remembering. But then, she had her excuses.

"Nice to meet you, Mrs Grey. I'm Flynn." Flynn held his hand out.

"Aww, such a gentleman." Mrs Grey shook his hand. "Are you a friend of Mia's?"

"Yes. We met when Mia first ran away. She's been a very good friend to me."

"That's sweet, Flynn. And Mia, why did you run away? It tore your mother to pieces. Your father had to move with her up the country because she couldn't stand to live here anymore, in the place you grew up and ran away from."

Mia felt bad then, as if she had actually ran away. "I didn't mean to upset her, or my Dad. I just couldn't live here anymore."

"One of your friends moved away too. You know her, the girl with the ginger hair? She smoked a lot."

"Suzie." Mia blurted out her name without thinking. The thought of a red-headed chain smoker brought only one person to Mia's mind without the need to think about it.

"That's her. Well, that young one turned into a bit of a, what's the word? 'Rebel' I guess is the right word. Yes, she turned into a rebel. Started smoking in front of her parents, cried and shouted a lot. She even kicked one of my sister's cats across the garden once, which I wasn't too fussed about. I can't stand Joan, miserable old nag."

"So Suzie's parents moved because of _my _disappearance?"

"They didn't put it as straight as that, but your absence did upset that poor girl and send her off the rails a tad, so her parents moved away. They didn't go far, though. They live about half an hour away now. Suzie comes to visit a lot, she spends time with that tall boy. Mason, is it?"

"Yes!" Mia almost knocked her soup over. Just the mention of Suzie and Mason's names brought back all the memories they had together. Tears almost welled in her eyes. "I mean, yes that's him. Does he . . . Still live here?"

"He sure does, honey. But right now he's visiting Suzie. They're in one of them relationships now, been together for a good year or so."

"Well, I'll be damned." muttered Mia. She had never imagined Suzie and Mason _together_. "They're really a couple?"

"Yes. You'll be able to see him in a few days, he'll be back soon."

"I hope so." Mia turned to Flynn. "Oh, you'll love Mason."

"If you like him, then I'm sure I will." Flynn scooped the rest of his soup out of the bowl. "You need to try this, Mia. It's been so long since I've eaten, I forgot how much I loved food."

Mrs Grey looked solemn. "Have you two been living rough?"

Unaware about what Mrs Grey meant, the two agreed.

Mr Grey pushed her glasses up her nose. "Honestly? Oh, you poor dears. It must be tough living on the streets, it's not right."

Mia and Flynn stared at each other in confusion, but they held their tongues.

"You two can stay here for as long as you wish. I have a spare room upstairs if you two would like to stay in there?"

Mia perked up. "You mean it? We can stay here?"

"Of course! Now finish your soup, Mia, and I'll go and find you something to sleep in."

"Oh it's fine, Mrs Grey. We're already in pyjamas."

"They are filthy. You need to sleep in fresh clothes, God knows how long you've been in them pyjamas."

"We could use some new ones." said Mia. She looked down that her pyjamas. They were ripped and dirty and looked very baggy on her.

"Exactly." said Mrs Grey. She left Mia and Flynn alone in the kitchen as she slowly climbed the stairs. Mia dipped her spoon into her soup and swallowed the contents. She coughed slightly. "Woah. I forgot how good food tasted!"

"It's nice, isn't it?"

"Yes!"

"We're quite thin." Flynn suddenly said.

"What?" Mia looked up from her soup.

"We're thin. I noticed when Mrs Grey was talking about getting us some pyjamas. Look at my arm." He placed his bare arm on the table. His skin clung to the bone, making him look like a skeleton covered in a thin layer of skin.

"That's . . ." Mia tried to pinch his arm, but there was nothing to pinch. "That's disturbing."

Flynn gently grabbed Mia's chin. "You should see your cheeks. They're sunken in."

"Yours are too. We really haven't eaten anything in years. It's a wonder we never died from starvation."

"Here we are!" called Mrs Grey. "Some clothes to sleep in." She came into the kitchen slowly and placed two piles of clothes on the table. "Now up to bed. The spare bedroom is just up the stairs and to the far right."

Mia picked up her pile of clothes. They were made of silk, quite classy for an old lady such as Mrs Grey. "Silk?"

"My husband brought them for me, I don't like the feel of silk. Yours are made of silk too, Flynn."

Flynn stroked the pyjamas. "They feel comfy."

Mrs Grey smiled. "Why, thank you."

Mia pushed her soup bowl away from her. "Thank you, Mr Grey. It's very nice of you to take us in like this, and especially so late."

"It's completely fine, Mia. I just hope you can see your parents again soon."

"I hope so too. I miss them."

Mia and Flynn lay silently in the spare bedroom, listening to the gentle snores of Mrs Grey's husband through the walls. Mia slept in the double bed alone, while Flynn slept on the pull-out settee on the other side of the room. Mia had offered for Flynn to sleep in the double bed and they could both sleep head-to-toe, but Flynn disagreed and allowed Mia "the good nights sleep she deserved".

They had both changed into their new pyjamas in separate rooms – Mia in the bedroom and Flynn in the bathroom. In the full-length mirror of the bedroom Mia had managed to get a good glimpse of her fragile body. She couldn't believe how skinny she really was. Her bones were visible through her skin, especially her ribcage. Her legs were no more than mere twigs that looked like they would snap if she carried too much weight. Mia was quite sure that Flynn's body looked very similar to her own. The pyjamas Mrs Grey had given her were baggy against her body and looked like they were five sizes too big. And when Flynn came though the door, his pyjamas fitted him the same as Mia's did. "Bit big for us, ain't they?" he smirked.

And now they were lying in a prober bed for the first time in years, and it felt like heaven. Even for Flynn, who's bed wasn't as comfy as Mia's, still felt nice and comfy. "This is nice." he whispered, his voice drifting through the night air.

"It is, isn't it? I just can't seem to sleep."

"Just close your eyes. You'll fall asleep soon, Mia."

"No I mean I _can't _sleep. I'm scared."

Flynn sat up and looked over to Mia. "What's wrong?"

"What if . . . When we fall asleep, we go back to Paradise?"

Flynn sighed, his head hitting the pillow. "Mia, we won't go back to Paradise."

"How can you be so sure?" Mia raised her voice slightly.

Flynn hushed her. "Shh, shh. It's fine, we won't go back there because we're happy. You are happy, right?"

"Of course I am. I'm just scared, Flynn. I don't want to go back."

"Mia, I swear we won't go back to Paradise. As long as we're happy, which we are, we won't go back."

"I hope you're right, I really do."

"Me too. Well, good night, Mia."

"Good night, Flynn. Sweet dreams."

Flynn smirked. "Right back at'cha."

Mia smiled and rolled over in the double bed, wrapping the quilt tightly around her tiny body. The thought of returning to Paradise scared her more than the Pendaloon, but she believed that if she didn't think about it she would be fine. And which that, she slipped into unconsciousness and for the first time since she could remember, she dreamed.


	4. Far From Safety

Chapter 4. Far From Safety

Dreaming was unexplainable, especially for Mia and Flynn. They both vividly remembered their dreams, both of them bitter-sweet. Before the sun even rose from behind the trees, Flynn was awake. The clock on the bed stand said it was twenty-five minutes past six in the morning. He peered over at Mia, who was hidden behind the thick quilt. He wrapped his own quilt around him an sighed peacefully. He felt happy, alive, free. But he also felt empty, and that feeling reminded him of his missing soul.

How long he laid in silence was unknown. He was in a daze almost, his head spiraling with the thoughts of souls and Paradise and finally being free. It was only until he heard Mia stir and yawn that he came back to reality. "Mia?" he whispered. He heard her groan and roll over. "Yes?" she yawned.

Flynn smiled. "Nothing, just checking to see if you was awake, that's all."

"We haven't gone back there." Mia's voice was overflowing with joy.

"I told you we wouldn't."

"And I'm sorry for doubting you." She propped herself up on her elbow. "Did you dream last night."  
Flynn turned his head towards her. "Yes. Did you?"

"I sure did."

"What did you think of it?"

"It was . . . Unexplainable."

Flynn chuckled. "What did you dream about?"

"My parents. I saw their faces in my dream, but now I'm awake I can't remember what they look like."

"I dreamed about Elle."

Mia looked up, she had almost forgotten about Elle? "Elle, really?"

"Yes. I dreamed about her reaction of our sudden disappearance. And if my dream is anything like what actually happens, she's not going to be happy."

Mia frowned. "I do feel bad about leaving her behind."

"I do too. But we had no idea what would happen to her when we got out of Paradise."

"You never aged, but yet you didn't know if you would when we escaped and you have _no _idea how long you've been in Paradise."

Flynn sat up completely in the bed. "I haven't been there as long as she has. She was already there when I first visited. And yes, I didn't know if I would age, but I was willing to take the risk."

"To escape?"

"Of course to escape. What other reason would there be?" Flynn snapped. He bit his tongue and looked over at Mia, whose eyebrows were raised at his sudden mood change. "Sorry." he whispered.

"It's okay. That was a stupid question anyway."

"I shouldn't have snapped."

"No, you shouldn't have." she smiled at him jokingly.

Flynn smiled back. "You hungry?"

"Yeah." Mia placed a hand on her stomach. "It feels so weird. But I don't want to wake Mrs Grey just yet."

"Unless we sneak down."

"Flynn! This isn't our house!"

"She won't mind." Flynn leaped from the bed and grabbed Mia's hand. "Come on."

Mia pulled her hand back slightly, but Flynn's grip slid her off of the bed easily. "Flynn, I don't like this." she whispered as he gently opened the door. "She might kick us out."

"Jeez, Mia, we're only getting some breakfast, not stealing anything." He turned his head to her and rolled his eyes.

"Flynn . . . Flynn, come back! Please!" hissed Mia. Flynn had pulled away from her and sneaked out of the bedroom. He lingered at the top of the stairs, grinning. "Come on, Mia."

Mia clung onto the door, swinging on it slightly. She looked at Flynn once more before sighing quietly and joining him. "What do you thi–" Mia's sentence was interrupted by a thundering choking noise that shook her eardrums and made her jump. She looked up at Flynn, who looked down at her with an amused smile.

"Scare you, did it?" he smirked.

Mia pulled a face and looked down the corridor. "It came from down there. What do you think it was?"

Flynn shrugged his shoulders, still smiling. "I don't know."

Mia bit her lip and walks down the hall, towards the dark oak door that faced her. The cold wooden floor strung the bottoms of Mia's feet. She reached the door after a few more painful steps. She couldn't hear Flynn behind her, he might have gone downstairs without her. The doorknob was right in front of her. Mia reached her hand out slowly to twist it.

_It could be the Pendaloon. What if that was him in there who made that noise?_

Mia stopped her hand as it lingered on the doorknob. Her eyes were wide and her shoulders stiffened.

"Leave it, Mia. I'm hungry." a voice said right in her ear, making her jump again. She span round to see Flynn standing close to her. His expression looked slightly worried but there was still a bit of humor in his eyes. "Sorry." he said quietly.

"I-I want to know what caused that noise." she muttered to herself.

Flynn pulled his eyebrows together. "You mean that cough we heard a couple of minutes ago that made you jump out of your skin?"

"Cough?"

"Yeah. It was a cough."

"It was a bit loud to be a cough, though."

Flynn shook his head and reached for the doorknob. Mia began to protest as he twisted it and pushed the door open. She watched as his face morphed somewhere between confusion and pity. Mia turned round and followed Flynn's gaze into the bedroom. There, on a large bed against the far wall, was an old man. His face was as white as the sheets he was lying in. His eyes were closed, revealing the deep purple eyelids. Mia and Flynn watched from the doorway, frozen by the scene.

"Who do you reckon he is?" asked Mia, breaking through the silence.

"I'm not sure. Maybe a relative of Mrs Grey?" Flynn said. His voice became lost in the sudden heavy breathing of the man.

"Could be her brother." Mia looked back at the man, who's face was screwed up in pain. He let out several loud coughs.

"Actually," said a new voice that made both Mia and Flynn jump and turn. "he's my husband." Mrs Grey looked at them both simply. She then looked at her husband and her face dropped. "He's Ill. Very ill, actually."

Mia and Flynn looked at each other. "We're sorry, Mrs Grey." apologized Mia. "We shouldn't have looked. It was my fault."

"Don't be sorry." Mrs Grey tried to laugh. The loose bun at the back of her head was beginning to fall apart, allowing silvery-white strands of hair to fall in Mrs Grey's face. "I'm surprised his coughed never woke you." She paused for a moment and sighed. "Richard hasn't been well for a week or two, now. He has a bad case of the flu, I think. The doctor said he should be better soon if he gets a lot of rest. I'm just hoping for the best now." Mr Grey began to cough again, and Mrs Grey closed the door quietly, most probably so she wouldn't have to listen to the painful coughs.

Flynn frowned. "He'll be fine, Mrs Grey, just you wait and see."

Mrs Grey smiled at Flynn. "Oh, you are a kind boy." She beamed at them both. "Did you two get a good nights sleep?"

It was obvious that she was trying to change the subject, so Mia nodded and said it was the best nights sleep she had had in ages.

"Oh, good, I am glad." Mrs Grey reached out a hand to touch Mia's face. "You look a tad . . . unclean, my dear. Not to be rude or anything, though." she added quickly. "How would you like a shower?"

Mia nodded. "I'd like that."

Mrs Grey smiled and looked at Flynn. "You can have a shower next, Flynn."

Flynn shrugged and smiled. "Ladies first."

"That's quite right. Mia, I'm afraid that you'll have to slip into some of my clothes for today. You may have to as well, Flynn."

Mia smirked at Flynn, who gave back a fake silent laugh.

Mrs Grey, who was completely unaware of the silent conversation Mia and Flynn were having, continued her speech. "– and then I'll stop and pick you both out an outfit. Nothing too fancy, just so you're not walking around in my clothes. Is that okay?"

Mia and Flynn looked down at Mrs Grey and nodded, both of them oblivious to what she had just said.

"Splendid. Now, why Mia has a quick shower I will show you, Flynn, where the cereal is in the kitchen so you can have some breakfast. Mia, my bedroom is the door next to the bathroom. Help yourself to my clothes."

"Thank you." said Mia as she turned away and towards Mrs Grey's bedroom.

Flynn was sat at the table eating his way through a piece of toast smothered in peanut butter while Mia was sat opposite him, drinking tea from a large mug. Her hair was damp and stringy from her shower, but she defiantly looked cleaner. Flynn had had a shower too, but his hair was already dry. He kept his eyes on Mia, waiting for her to look up at him and say something. He knew she was dying to say something to him, something about what had happened earlier, but she kept staring intensely at her mug. She knew he was staring at her, he wanted her to snap at him. He found it funny when she argued with him, because he refused to argue back and it frustrated her even more.

After a few more minutes of continuous staring from Flynn, Mia finally cracked. "Stop staring at me, Flynn, it's annoying." she said without looking at him.

He smiled and lent back in his chair, hands behind his head. "Go on, you know you want to say something."

She still didn't raise her eyes. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"You know _exactly _what I'm talking about. With Mrs Grey's husband."

Mia smacked her mug down on the table, but not hard enough to break the mug. "Oh, _that._"

Flynn lent forward again, smiling mischievously.

"If it hadn't have been for you, then we would have never found out about Mr Grey."

"How'd you work that one out? You're the one the crept up to his bedroom and planned on going in."

"I wouldn't have gone to his room if you hadn't have dragged me out of our room! We're lucky Mrs Grey didn't throw us out for snooping around."

"We're lucky she let us stay here. We're basically strangers to her."

"You are, I'm not. She used to know me when I lived here."

"Exactly. I'm a stranger to her. For all she knows, I could be a psychopath who's been holding you prisoner for the past two years."

Mia raised her eyebrows and let out a soft laugh. "That is so ridiculous and complex. Mrs Grey wouldn't think up something like that."

"She might do." Flynn looked down at his cereal and began to eat again, not paying any attention to Mia. That would wind her up. Now he wasn't paying attention to her she would get frustrated. Flynn smiled to himself, he loved annoying Mia.

Mia shook her head. "I hate you."

"Hate is a very strong word." he said with his mouth full of cereal.

Mia grimaced. "Fine. I strongly dislike you."

"No you don't."

Mia rolled her eyes and picked up her mug again and took a large gulp of tea.

Flynn didn't say anything else; he just stared at Mia.

"Stop it." Mia said sternly.

"Never, it's fun to wind up. Your reaction is adorable."

"I'll give you adorable."

Flynn smirked. "Why are you in a bath robe? Surely it would be simpler to put the pajamas back on."

Mia looked away. "I got them wet."

"How?"

"I . . . I got in the shower. With my pajamas still on."

Flynn snorted with laughter, finally placing his hand over his mouth. "No." he breathed from behind his hand. "You're such an idiot."

"I forgot!" Mia yelled, her face bright red. She could feel the heat rushing over her face like hot water. Her lips were pressed into a tight line. "I wasn't think straight."

Flynn continued to laugh, but not as hard. "Even I remember how to shower correctly."

Mia didn't say anything else. Instead, she raised from her chair, mug in hand, and left the kitchen.

"Mia!" shouted Flynn. He didn't go after her, he just continued to call out to her until he heard the bedroom door shut from above him. He pulled a face, shrugged, then went back to his toast.

Mrs Grey returned home late, plastic bags of shopping hung from her white hands. Flynn hurried to help her carry the bags in, some filled with food and other items while two of the bags had piles of clothes in them. "These are yours and Mia's." Mrs Grey panted as she handed the two bags. "And these." She pulled out two brown boxes. "This box is yours and this is Mia's. I'll leave your box down here for when you come back. They're shoes by the way."

"Thank you. Need any help with the other bags?"

"No, no, I'm fine. I'm much stronger than I look."

Flynn smiled. He left Mrs Grey with the bags and carried his and Mia's bags upstairs. He gently knocked on the bedroom door but Mia didn't answer. "Mia?" he asked, his ear pressed against the door. He could hear her breathing. "Open the door. Please? I'm sorry for laughing at you." he said with a smile on his face.

The door creaked open. Flynn stood up straight and stared at Mia, smiling. Mia stared back at him blankly, her arms folded. She was still wearing the pale blue bath robe she had been wearing three hours ago at the table.

"Hi." said Flynn. Hints of humor tainted his voice, making Mia scold. Flynn held up a bag of clothes, shaking it in Mia's face. "I brought you clothes."

Mia batted the bag out of her face and took it from Flynn. She looked into the bag, her eyes bright with interest. "These are yours." She handed the bag back to him and grabbed the other bag. "I don't wear boxers." she said with a smile.

Flynn looked into his bag and smiled. "Am I forgiven?"

"Only if you leave me alone so I can finally change."

"Sounds good enough. This is your's, though." Flynn handed her the box and left Mia standing in the doorway. She closed the door after he walked completely down the stairs. Mia peaked inside of her bag and emptied the contents on the bed, and left the box on the floor by her feet. There were a few pairs of jeans, teeshirts, jumpers and plenty of underwear, but one thing caught Mia's eye. She held up a pair of jean dungarees, studying them. She remembered them, remembered wearing a pair of dungarees whenever she could before she got trapped in Paradise.

Mia squealed and hugged the dungarees. She picked up a random teeshirt and underwear from the bed, dropped her bath robe and slipped on the underwear. She hastily put on the teeshirt – which she realized was dark gray when it went over her head – and pulled up the dungarees. Mia breathed outwards, not having breathed the whole time she put on the clothes. She looked down at her bare feet and over to the brown box by the bed. "Shoes."

Everything felt so new to Mia now she had clothes. She felt like a kid in a sweet shop. She jumped on the bed and brought the box up to her lap, ripping the lid off. Inside was a navy pair of plimsolls. Mia wasn't a big fan of plimsolls, but it was better than walking around in a pair of strappy sandals. She slid the shoes on the stood up, straightening the creases in her dungarees. Smiling, she walked over to the full-length mirror and examined her newly clothed body. Outside, rain had started to splatter against the window hard. Mia smiled as she looked at herself in the mirror. She wasn't sure how she used to look before she went to Paradise, but she was sure that right now she looked very similar.

A flash of lightening lit up the bedroom then, blinding Mia for a second. When her eyes came into focus she looked back at the mirror and was paralyzed with fear.

Inside the mirror, staring at Mia with large, round, blood red eyes, was the Pendaloon. He grinned at her, a low growl escaping his small black teeth. Without thinking, Mia held up her hand and placed it on the mirror's surface. The Pendaloon copied Mia's movement, placing his large talons where her hand was. Mia's hand exploded with pain and she quickly retreated her hand, holding it close to her chest and gasping in pain; the Pendaloon copying her movement. When Mia checked her red hand the Pendaloon did the same. She stared back at him, looking into his red eyes that stared back. The red cracks in his black skin glowed and hissed. Finally, Mia let out a scream. As soon as the scream left her lips, and deep roar erupted from the Pendaloon, as if he was mimicking everything she did. Another flash of lightening lit up the room, and suddenly the Pendaloon was gone and Mia was left with her own reflection.

"Mia?" Flynn said quickly as he opened the door. "Mia, what's wrong?"

Mia breathed quickly, pointing at the mirror. "The Pendaloon." she whispered.

Flynn's eyes widened. "What? Mia, what are you talking about?"

Mia's eyes rolled towards the back of her head and she hit the floor, her vision going black.


	5. Trouble Afoot

Trouble Afoot

_Trees. That was all Mia could see for miles and miles: trees. Close behind her was a Collector. Its long hair hung in front of its face, long arms with huge pointed claws outstretched. Mia couldn't understand why this Collector was chasing her. She didn't have a complete soul; she would be useless to the Pendaloon, wouldn't she?_

_Cold claws scrapped the back of Mia's neck, making her yelp. She span around, and the Collector stopped dead. It swung its long hair back over its head, revealing the haunting empty black eye sockets. "This is only a dream!" Mia screamed at the Collector. The Collector lunged forward at Mia, grabbing her mouth and pulling it apart, then jumping down her throat. Mia fell to the floor, coughing and gagging. Her insides felt like they were being frozen, her skin turned from pink to gray. _

_Now, all she had to do was to find the other one who escaped . . ._

Cold water hit Mia's face suddenly, disturbing her dreams and bringing her to reality. She gasped and shot up from her pillow. Flynn stood next to the bed, an empty glass in his hands and a serious look on his face. "You were kicking in your sleep." he said. "It was keeping me awake."

"So you thought you'd throw a glass of freezing water in my face?"

"Yep. Did the trick though, didn't it?"

Mia sighed and wiped the water from her face with the sleeve of her pajamas. "I dreamed again." she said to him, looking anywhere but his face.

"Oh yeah? What of?"

"A Collector." Her voice was simple, emotionless, like dreaming of Collectors was a normal thing that didn't mean anything.

Flynn's eyes snapped up. "A Collector? What happened?"

"It chased me." Mia didn't want to tell Flynn about the Collector entering her and taking over her body; it might have worried him. She just wanted him to know about her dream.

"Hmm. The dream might have been triggered by your encounter with . . . Him. What actually happened? You never told me."

"Well, it was raining and when I was looking in the mirror everything was normal, then a flash of lightening lit up the room and blinded me. I looked in the mirror again after my sight came back, and the Pendaloon was in the mirror, looking at me. I would have screamed then, but I was paralyzed. He copied all of my movements, even when I screamed."

"Anything else?

"Yeah. I touched the mirror, and so did he." Mia raised her hand so the palm was facing upwards and showed Flynn. Her palm and fingers were red raw, and even swollen in some places. Flynn took her hand and examined it. "Does it hurt?" he asked.

"A bit. It's still a little sore when I touch it."

Flynn pulled his eyebrows together, touched Mia's hand again gently, and walked over to the mirror. "Where did you touch him, Mia?"

"Umm, to the right of the mirror. No, down a bit. Yes, there, that's where our hands touched."

Flynn placed his hand on the mirror. "It's still warm. He's defiantly been here."

"In the mirror?"

"Yes. I don't know how he did it, but he's been here."

Mia inhaled deeply. "You think he's come back for us?"

Flynn turned away from the mirror and went back to Mia, picking up her hand again. "It's possible. Do you want some ice, this looks bad?"

"Ice? For my hand?"

Flynn rolled his eyes. "Well, duh."

Mia smiled slightly. Yes, please."

Flynn left the room shaking his head. Mia looked over at the mirror and sighed. How the Pendaloon had gotten into the mirror was beyond her, but right now all she could concentrate on was her hand. She couldn't clench her hand not flex it, and touching it even hurt. When Flynn touched her hand it was painful, but she didn't say anything.

"Here we go." said Flynn quietly as he came back through the door. In his hand was a cloth with ice wrapped inside. Her took Mia's hand and pressed the cloth into it.

"Ow." said Mia.

"Sorry. Didn't mean to press that hard."

"Do you think he'll come back?"

Flynn didn't reply. Instead he pushed the cloth a little harder into her palm.

"You think he might, don't you?"

"I don't know. He's unpredictable. I hope he doesn't come back, though."

The bedroom door pushed open. Mia and Flynn's heads both snapped up. Mrs Grey stood in the doorway with two mugs in her hands. "How you doing, sweetie?" she said to Mia. "Flynn said you tripped and hit your head. I thought I heard you scream but Flynn never. Must be my old age." she laughed.

"I'm feeling fine, thank you. I'm not sure what happened, but I tripped and hit my head. Next thing I know I'm in bed."

"Poor thing. I've brought you some hot chocolate, thought you might like it. Don't worry, it's decaf."

Mia and Flynn had no idea what hot chocolate was or what decaf meant, but they both smiled and thanked Mrs Grey.

"It's quite alright. Now, you two drink that up and then get some sleep. It's quite late now." Mrs Grey handed over the mugs and left the bedroom, quietly closing the door behind her.

Mia looked at Flynn. "What do you think this is?"

"Dunno." He took a sip of the hot chocolate. He raised his eyebrows. "It's sweet. Really sweet."

Mia frowned. "I'm right-handed."

Flynn laughed. "That's nice to know."

"Now, Flynn. I burnt my right hand. How man I suppose to drink this with my left hand?"

"Pretty easy?"

"Hmph. I can never do anything with my left hand."

"Maybe you should learn."

Mia groaned. She lifted the mug up to her mouth. The mug felt awkward in her left hand, like it would spill out. Her lips touched the mug's rim and the liquid filled her mouth. It was going okay until Mia felt a small dribble escape her mouth and run down her chin.

Flynn's finger shot out and he wiped the dribble away. He smiled with mock humor and Mia lowered the mug. "I told you I can't do anything with this hand."

"You did fine."

Mia grumbled. She placed the mug down gently on the bedside table and stared at the mirror again. There had to have been a reasonable explanation as to how the Pendaloon had just appeared out of thin air and into the mirror. He wasn't real, anyway. He was just fear; an emotion that had somehow formed into a being. And even that had to have had a reasonable explanation, shouldn't it?

Something rose in Mia's throat. It stung the back of her throat as she gagged slightly.

Flynn put his mug down. "Mia?"

Whatever it was that was in Mia's throat rushed into her mouth and seeped out of her lips. Mia made a pained noise – that would have been humorous if it wasn't for the current situation – as a large amount of thick, pale yellow paste flooded out of her mouth. Mia stood up from the bed and immediately collapsed onto her knees as more vomit poured out of her mouth. There was an awful taste in Mia's mouth.

Flynn stood up from the bed and backed away from Mia as more vomit came from her mouth and spread across the carpet. He raised his eyebrows; he had no idea what was happening to Mia. To him, it looked comical. But the noises Mia was making told him otherwise. "Mrs Grey?" Flynn called. He hoped Mrs Grey would hear. "Mrs Grey, somethings wrong with Mia."

Mia groaned and face planted into her own vomit. She didn't care about her face and hair as it set into her stinky mess, she just cared about the horrible pain that was now deep inside her stomach. "Oh dear! What's happened?" Mia heard Mrs Grey's voice. Mrs Grey's soft, wrinkled hand touched Mia's cheek.

"Wha . . . I don't know what's . . ."

"She must be coming down with something. First she faints and now she's been sick over the carpet."

Flynn rubbed the back of his neck. "Sorry." he apologized, as if the mess was his fault.

"No, it's fine! I'll quickly run to the shops and pick up the detergent. Would you like to come?"

"Umm, sure?"

"Thank you. Now, be a dear and just lift her into bed. I don't want her lying in her own sick all day." Mrs Grey rose from the floor and quickly left the room.

Flynn made a soft "hmm" and slowly walked over to Mia? "Mia?" he asked and he bent down next to her, being careful not to kneel in the vomit. "You okay?"

Mia groaned and lifted her head. The right side of her face was covered in vomit and so was her hair. Flynn sighed and carefully picked her up.

"My stomach hurts." Mia groaned.

"It's okay. We'll get you something to help your belly."

Mia groaned again as Flynn gently rested her on the bed. He pulled the quilt back and covered Mia's body with it. Mrs Grey had changed Mia into her pajamas after she passed out, but of course, not in front of Flynn.

"What was that?" Flynn asked.

"What was what?" whispered Mia.

"_That._" He pointed to the mess on the carpet. "It all came out of your mouth."

"I think it's called vomit. It comes out of people when they're ill. I think."

Mrs Grey came back into the bedroom with a roll of kitchen roll. She ripped off a piece and wiped the vomit from Mia's face and out of her hair. "There we are." she said as the last of the vomit was wiped away from Mia's face. "Now, Flynn, you ready to go?"

Flynn nodded.

"Come on then."

Flynn gripped the edges of his seat very tightly as Mrs Grey drove them both home in her small red machine she called a "car". The car trembled as they drove home. Mrs Grey said it was something to do with the engine. Flynn had nodded like he understood what an engine was. There was a strange strap across Flynn's chest. It was suppose to be for safety, but to Flynn it looked more like a death trap.

"You okay, dear? You seem a little edgy." said Mrs Grey.

"Oh. Umm. Yeah, I'm fine. I'm just. Just worried about Mia. Yeah. Mia."

"Aww, that's nice? Are you sweet on her?"

"Excuse me?"

"Are you sweet on Mia?"

"A-I don't understand?"

Mrs Grey smiled. "Do you have feelings for her?"

"Oh! Oh." Flynn shrugged. "I don't know. Possibly. Feelings confuse me sometimes."

"Feelings confuse us all, my sweet. Oh look, we're home already." Mrs Grey pulled the small car into the gravel driveway of her house. She slid her strap off and stepped out of the car.

Flynn grabbed the strap and frantically shook it. The strap didn't move though, it stayed tight to him. He was trapped.

Mrs Grey tapped on the window. "Take you seatbelt off, you ninny."

"I can't." Flynn gasped.

Mrs Grey rolled her eyes and opened the back door. "You press the red button. It's by your side." she said as she took the plastic bags out of the back seat.

Flynn looked to his side. "Oh yeah. So it is." He pressed the button and the belt whipped past him. He hurried out of the car and slammed the door.

"Careful." said Mrs Grey as she handed a small plastic bag to Flynn. "Here's some medicine. Take it up to Mia and give her one spoonful. The little spoon is in the bag."

"Thank you." Flynn left Mrs Grey and entered the front door. Mrs Grey had left the front door unlocked again. He mounted the stairs two at a time; he was dying to she how Mia was. "Mia." she said as he opened the bedroom door. "I've got some medicine for you."

Mia was sat cross-legged in front of the mirror with her back facing Flynn. She didn't turn as he entered.

"Mrs Grey said this stuff will make you feel better. Mia?" Flynn placed the brown bottle and a small white plastic spoon on the bed and walked over to Mia. "You okay, Mia?"

Her eyes were closed. Flynn could tell from her reflection. He quietly crept up behind her and placed a hand on her shoulder. As soon as he touched her, Mia's head snapped around and faced him. Her eye were gone. All that was there was her empty eye sockets with small white orbs floating inside of them that glowed dimly. She bared her teeth, revealing rows upon rows of small, sharp teeth. Mia lunged at Flynn, a growl rumbling from the back of her throat. She grabbed at his throat and pinned him to the floor, her new sharp nails digging into his skin.

Flynn knew exactly what was happening – at least he thought he did – and he knew what he had to do. Mia was weaker than him, making it easy for him to overpower her. He reached his hand out and grabbed Mia's throat too and pushed over to the side. She hissed as she hit the floor and tried to get back up again, but Flynn was already there as he planted his knees into Mia's stomach. "Sorry." he whispered so quietly that even he had trouble hearing it. He pinched her nose hardly, holding her to the floor with his other hand. Mia didn't scream, but she did hiss and growl. He legs kicked furiously in the air until her entire body went stiff. Her eyes closed peacefully and her mouth opened slowly. Wisps of gray smoke floated out of her mouth. They made a noise like someone breathing in your ear as they passed by Flynn's face. More wisps escaped Mia's mouth until a shape formed in the air. Flynn let go of Mia's nose as a Collector exploded from the smoke. It stared at Flynn for a moment, its long arms stretching out. But then, it screeched and burst into tiny bits of ash as the sunlight hit it. The ash floated around the room until they disappeared. Flynn sat in silence for a while. He breathed in and out very deeply, until he suddenly shook Mia's body. "Mia!" he hissed at her in a worried yet agitated voice.

Mia's eyes fluttered opened. She smiled and looked at Flynn. "Oh hi, Flynn. How's it going? I feel much better now. Oh, how did I end up on the floor?" Her voice was sickly sweet. This always happened. Flynn remembered it happened to Elle when he manged to get a Collector out of her body. Mia would act sweet and innocent for about a minutes, before snapping back to reality.

"Are you okay?" Flynn asked.

"Oh yes. I'm completely fine. Everything is hunky dory."

"Yes, it sure is. How's your belly?"

"It feels all right now, thank you. Aww, you're so nice to me."

"Indeed I am."

Mia smiled and shut her eyes. Flynn waited and watched as Mia's eyes snapped back open. She sat up and stared at Flynn. "What just happened?"

"Something bad. A Collector took over your body."

Mia raised her eyebrows."I . . . I don't remember. How could . . ."

"Did you touch the mirror again?" Flynn asked quietly.

"Umm, yes. But only to see if it was still warm. Oh, crap. I'm sorry."

"It's fine, it's fine. I got rid of it though."

"How?"

"I pinched your nose. The Collector came out of you and into the room."

"Did it hurt you?"

"No, 'course not. It exploded in the Sun."

"Wow."

"That was my thoughts too. They must be very sensitive to heat." He looked at Mia. "You sure you're okay?"

Mia smiled and nodded. "Yes. Except my hand, that still stings."

"It'll be all right in the morning. Now, I've got you some medicine for your belly."

"What's medicine?"

Flynn shrugged. "How should I know?"

Mia gets taken over by a Collector and Flynn pinches her nose to get the Collector out of her, which explodes when exposed to sunlight. Flynn can't be taken over because he is too strong (check old chapters).

The Pendaloon couldn't enter the real world, so he came there through the mirror, as it was the closest thing that resembled a parallel universe.


End file.
